Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-05-20
OUR BIG BOOM.
Rock Island as a Substantial and
Growing City.
Important Meetings Tonight--MOre
About Natural Gas WeIls---The Des
M0ines DistilIery---Mr. kneII's En-
terprise.

Tonight the Rock Island Bushes,
Mems association meets in adjourned
session, to consider matters of impor
lance pertaining to Rock Islands inter
ests at this time. The Committee OF
Twenty also meets for the purpose Of
perfecting its organization by the cleo
ton of officers, etc. There have been
some intimations on the part of certain
members of the Business Mems aSsocia
ton, that the Committee of Twenty
ought to consolidate with the Business
Mems association, on the ground
that there is no need for both
societies The Business Mems as
sociallon was resuscitated by the Com
mittee of Twenty, and there is work and
plenty of it for both organizations in
these booming times There need be ne
conflict, but mutual understanding IN
regard to the work to be performed
NATURAL GAS.
The ARGUS interview of few day,
ago. in reference to natural gas field,
near Sears mill, has caused considerable
comment, aud the idea that if corpora
ton should bore for gas there it might b,
productional of good results is strongly
sustained The ARGUS has mentioned
these surface discoveries IN the vlcinit,
Of Sears. Indicating the possibility of gas
beneath Perhaps the most suggcstiv,
and instructive statement in regard IL
surface indications" is that made by
Prof Leslie touching Pennsylvania IL
answer to the question: Shall 1 Dor,
for gas at my works. he says:
First OF all, there can be no gas stored
up in the old rocks This settles tn,
question in the negative for the Who'll,
southeastern third of PENNSYLVANIA T,
bore for gas in Bucks. Pbiladelphia. o
Delaware counties would be simply alb
surd.
3. There can be no Gas left under.
ground where the old rocks have beer
turned up on edge, overturned, fractured
| recemented, faulted. and disturbed in ,
thousand ways If there ever was an,
| it has long since found innumerable way.
OF escape into the atmosphere, Thi
settles the question for all the counties o
the great valley, rs anyone can see b.
looking ut the present condition of thei
limestone, slate, and sandstone forma
| tons
There is no: the least chance that an
gas is left underground in the great
folded, crushed and hardened formation
of the middle belt of the state Wher,
the oil and gas rock rise to the surface il
counties. they show that all their oil ant
gas has escaped long ago.
4 Where the rock formations lie an
proximatcIy horizontal and have remain
ed nearly undisturbed over EXTENSIVE
| areas, as in all the counties west of tn,
Alleghenies, there is always chance o
finding gas, If not oil, at some depth be
meath the surface
5. Wherever the bituminous coal bed
have been changed Inlo anthracite o
semi bitumlnous coal. il is reasonable II
suppose that the same agency which pro
duced the change, whatever it was. mus
have acted on the whole column of for
nations, including any possible gas rocl
al any depth.
6. Wherever rock-oil has been found
there and in the surrounding region rock
gas is sure to exist
These indications are all favorable t,
the section alluded to as possessing nafur.
nj gas and the matter cnmmends itself Il
experiment at least Rock Island may
eventually be interested in an incorpor
ated license issued by the secretary OF
state the other day, for the Illinois Natur
al Gas and Fuel company at Chicago
capital stock Sl5, object to supply
natural gas. Incorporators, William A
Herting, Jerome s Buck and Theodore
II. TrIvers